Rail car propane leak safely resolved in Saint John

A propane leak from a rail car ineast Saint John has beensafely resolved, after more than sixhours.

Emergency crews reopened Highway 1in both directions at about 6:30 p.m. AT.

The highway was closed between Garden Street andAshburnLake Road around noon, shortly after the leak was reported.

The area within about 90 metres of therail yard near the One Mile interchange overpass was alsoevacuated.

The leaking car was coupled with one carrying crude oil, said fire Chief Kevin Clifford.

With the train derailment and explosion inLac-Mgantic, Que., in July still fresh in everyone's minds, authorities were taking no chances.

"There is a release of a flammable product and we're not comfortable opening the highway up when that release is still kind of off and on," Clifford said, shortly before rush hour.

"We will try to get it open as soon as we can."

Clifford initially thought the leakat the formerCNrail yard, now managed by NB Southern Railway, was contained, but quickly realized thepropane was still being released intermittently.

He believes the problem was a faulty relief valve on the pressurized tank. It hadfrosted up from the leaking gas, making it difficult to close.

Crews transferred the propane from the nearlyfull rail carto another tanker,said Clifford.

Traffic continued to be rerouted until the leak was resolved.No city streets were closed, but many were bumper to bumper with commuters, including RothesayAvenue and City Road.

Hazardous materials team on site

NB Southern Railway crews noticed "misting"and the smell ofgas around a single propane rail car that had been shunted from the Irving Oil refinery to the east side rail yard, said company spokeswoman Mary Keith.

"The transit of these cars was uneventful and without incident," she said in a statement.

As a precaution, crews called the fire department,RST Industries, an Irving-owed tanker truck company as part of the Liquid Petroleum Gas Emergency Response Team, as well as refinery response personnel, Keith said.

Transport Canada and the New Brunswick Department of Environment were also advised, she said.

"To be clear, no injury to any person and no derailment has occurred," Keith stressed.

Dozens of tank cars markedDOT-111Awere in therail yard, reports CBC'sConnellSmith.

Such cars, whichare used to transport a wide variety of dangerous goods,such as crude oil,have a maximum capacity of about 130,000 litres.

Following theLac-Mgantic disaster, which killed 47 people, 50 organizations have called for a ban on shipping oil in older DOT-111A tanker cars.

At least eight people from Irving Oil'shazardous materialsteam were on scene, along with NB Southern Railway officials.

A Transport Canada truck wasalso on site.